Holding an inventory for selling online through Shopify is not compulsory. Merchants can take orders from their online store and pass them on to their suppliers.
Though some eCommerce hosting platforms prerequisite merchants to hold an inventory under them, it is different for Shopify.
Read more here to learn how to sell products from Shopify without holding an inventory for your store.
Overview
With Shopify, you can sell anything without inventory. You, as a merchant, can re-sell some other companies’ or wholesalers’ products without installing your inventory.
Shopify allows its users to use any marketing strategy to sell their products. They can work with MLM, drop shippers, or print-on-demand companies.
With Shopify, users can work without owning an inventory when they are not selling their products. The different marketing strategy helps sellers avoid maintaining a warehouse and tracking all their product data.
The suppliers will take all the responsibilities starting from preparing the order and delivering it to the address.
How Can I Sell My Product Without Inventory On Shopify?
Besides offering dropshipping, Shopify offers merchants many other possible methods by which they can sell from their online store.
Listed below are the methods by which you can make a sale as a merchant in Shopify.
1. How to sell products without inventory – Print on Demand
As a print-on-demand business, you, as a seller, will be placing orders to your suppliers based on customization requested by customers. Shopify will sell these products under your brand name.
Some common products produced by print-on-demand businesses include mugs, t-shirts, and bracelets. It is one of the leading methods merchants use to sell products from their online store if they still need to hold an inventory.
The below instructions will help you to sell products without inventory using print-on-demand marketing strategies.
- Merge with some best customization and designing companies, which can produce products for the sellers.
- As a Shopify seller, you will have to pass on the product requirements to your suppliers.
- Once they have made all the customizations to the product, they will deliver it to the customer’s requested address.
However, you have to be very clear with the suppliers. Some print-on-demand suppliers do not make deliveries. For such cases, you also need to have contact with shipping companies for delivering the products from your supplier warehouses.
Print-on-demand is one of the best marketing strategies to start a business without investing. There is no need for holding an inventory since you, as a merchant in Shopify, will be ordering from another third-party website and making the deliveries.
2. How to sell online without inventory – Multi-level marketing
MLMS, or multi-level marketing, is another method by which Shopify sellers can take orders from their customers. The inventory is kept in the warehouse, letting sellers make deliveries directly to the customers without owning their inventory.
To sell through MLM, you can follow the steps given below:
- You must make a website to direct customers to the products page.
- Create a keyword-rich website and several blog posts that will help you find customers for the products your MLM sells.
- Notify the MLM about the order, and then they will process the total order.
You can pick them up by yourself from the warehouse of the MLM and distribute them, or the customers can ship them directly to their doorsteps. Most MLM companies offer some percentage of profits from the products with online re-sellers.
So MLM is a good source to earn some extra amount of money.
3. How to start an online store without inventory – Dropshipping
Dropshipping is the best method of operating an online store without holding an inventory for your online store. To start selling without inventory using dropshipping, follow the steps below.
- First, you must find another company or supplier whose product list matches yours.
- Second, build a contract between you for completing the order process.
- Now, display the products on your online store, and take customer orders.
- Soon after the payment is made, notify the company about the order, and they will do the rest. Your supplier will prepare the order and either deliver it to the customer or to you.
What companies to pick for dropshipping?
Several companies are ready to merge with new businesses and increase sales. However, the hardest part is to find reputed and supportive drop shippers. Most drop shippers do not merge with new businesses.
So finding reliable drop shippers can be challenging. However, if your online store is hosted on one of the best hosting platforms like Shopify and Big Commerce, you will get some help. They suggest some drop shippers ready to merge with new online stores.
Besides them, there are some top-notch companies that you can pick for dropshipping, even if you still need inventory for your online store.
1. Salehoo
This is the most trusted company out of all drop shippers and wholesalers. SaleHoo delivers products in some major parts of the world.
Their major distributions are made in different regions of Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. This company holds more than 8,000 trusty wholesalers who can supply products for your customers.
AliExpress is responsible for the inventory source, and all of its products can be directly linked to the Shopify SAP integration store. Merging your brand with this company can aid your cause to perfection.
Moreover, the annual memberships of Salehoo offer the most benefits. Besides this, their contact support is exceptionally good, so over 137,000 entrepreneurs have already sold over 2.5 million products from Salehoo.
2. Aliexpress
AliExpress is another online selling company with which entrepreneurs can merge and re-sell their products. It is another trusted company where drop shippers and MLM-using merchants can sell their products.
AliExpress offers more than 111 million quality deals, from Fashion to different accessories and other electronic devices, and even tools used for different purposes and for kids.
The best part of merging with AliExpress is that they offer a Refund and Exchange policy. Some companies need to provide these offers to their customers.
But with the help of this company, you can add a refund and exchange policy to your online store.
3. CJDropshipping
One of China’s most trusted drop shippers. They can deliver products worldwide and help businesses to operate perfectly with their inventories.
CJ is compatible with most eCommerce platforms, and when connected with the online store, it will draw data of orders and take care of them.
In addition to its other benefits, if the delivery times are compared with AliExpress, CJ delivers its orders quicker than AliExpress. The best part is that you do not need to pay any extra amount for faster delivery.
4. Worldwide Brands
Worldwide Brands are certified wholesalers and dedicated drop shippers for over 20 years. They are quite popular for working with online retailers.
Dropshipping with Worldwide Brands is the best choice if your business is new. Worldwide Brands offer the safety and security of their products.
Worldwide Brands offer different types of products for re-selling. As a merchant in Shopify, you can sell pet products, jewelry, men’s and women’s accessories, home supplies, sporting goods, and many more.
They even offer some exciting profit margins. One of the main reasons why major retailers have worked with this company is.
5. Doba
They are another drop shippers that offer a wide range of products for re-selling purposes. They have an experienced Supplier Service team that can manage orders efficiently and deliver them quickly.
Their product quality is some of the best you can offer to your customers, and the best thing about working with Doba is you can get promoted to increase sales.
Doba workers put up a constant effort to make the order process smoother and quicker. After signing up with them, you, as a merchant, can get up with their millions of products for re-selling.
Merging with Doba for dropshipping is also the best choice.
6. Alibaba
Alibaba is a leading business-to-business marketplace where you can enjoy re-selling over 20 million products from your online store. Alibaba even supplies foods and beverages, so even if you are considering opening a food store, Alibaba can be the best choice for getting your supplies.
Alibaba does not compromise with its products; they are even backed up by several other leading suppliers, which will help you find all the items in your catalog.
Alibaba is also known for delivering its products worldwide. Even though they are not dedicated suppliers, you will get the best quality products ensured by legal rights.
The profit margins of Alibaba are also exceptional, and you can operate products from your online store without having your inventory.
7. Sunrise Wholesale
They are wholesale merchandise, which focuses on dropshipping. Working with Sunrise Wholesale can be the best choice for your newly opened online store since they offer a 7-day free trial.
Sunrise Wholesale has been in this business for over 20 years, and most of its retailers are already making huge amounts of money. All their product catalog is available for everyone.
So if your catalog is the same as theirs, working with Sunrise Wholesale is also the best choice. If you have doubts, you can even take help from their support team, offering live chats, in-call support, and email feedback.
Can I Sell Other People’s Products On Shopify Without Maintaining Inventory?
Yes, Shopify offers its merchant the ability to work with other people’s products and re-sell them from their online store without maintaining inventory. If you are not selling your products, you can easily display items in your store, and sell them in bulk, provided the suppliers have the items in stock.
Furthermore, there are in-built features in Shopify that provide the merchant with tools that help merchants to use dropshipping and other marketing strategies efficiently. These features also reduce the burden of merging with shipping companies to deliver the products to the customer’s address.
In addition, if you are not maintaining the inventory, you can still sell products from your Shopify online store. With drop shipping, the profit margins are much higher since customers can purchase products directly from the
Final Thoughts
Holding an inventory for your products is optional for Shopify merchants. Choose your niche and supplier.
This is all you need to start your online business on Shopify. Besides, the different features on Shopify help merchants sell almost everything on Shopify without inventory and with ease.
